SIX FUNDAMENTALS

Seventh Lesson

To quit vanity

This lesson will explain the most important requisites of piety. A Muslim should spend every moment of his life in the achievement of the eternal boons of the life hereafter. He should not only avoid the sins, but also the vain and destructive customs of his age, which affect our religious principles and beliefs so badly. Though there may not be sin in so many deeds and hobbies, yet they are a sheer waste of time and energy, and we could do some other constructive things during that time. This is the characteristic of a true believer that he spends his time only in virtuous deeds, remembers Allah as much as possible, avoids all forbidden things, does not indulge in vanity, and is polite and humble towards other Muslims. If one does not avoid vain talk and vain deeds, one is likely to indulge in shameful sins. It has been mentioned in a hadith that when a companion of Rasulullah (Sallallaho alaihe wasallam) heard these words, he said, “You are giving him the happy news of Jannah, while you don’t know he might have indulged in vain talk, or, have been a miser in spending a thing for the good of others, which does not decrease by use”. This evidently means that one should be very cautious in talk, and should avoid vanity, for one’s tongue is likely to talk nonsense.

Another hadith says, “Sometimes a man speaks an offensive and sinful thing unconsciously, by which he is thrown into hell deeper than the distance between East and West”

Therefore, every believer should be cautious in his talk, and should spend every moment of his life in good deeds. He must avoid vanity, particularly, during the period when he has left home to learn his religion, or to preach the same.

Someone asked Luqmaan the philosopher, “How did you attain so attain so much wisdom?” He answered, “Because I speak the truth, pay the securities to their owners, and avoid vanity!”
(Muwatta Imaam Maalik) 

Hadhrat Sahl Tastari says, “Anyone who desires that the qualities and signs of the truthful should be revealed to him, he must not eat anything but pure and legal, and should follow the Sunnah very strictly”.                                                                                                              (Ihya-ul-Uloom)

In another hadith Rasulullah (Sallallaho alaihe wasallam) said, “The Holy Qur’aan mentions a great quality of true believers,

“Those who do not indulge in vanity!”

N.B. - All the ahaadith, which have no references have been quoted from Mishkaat Sharief.

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